Lust in Translation

You don't always need rippling muscles, a six-figure bank account or courtside seats to the Lakers to attract a mate.  If you can form a proper sentence, you'll be a hot commodity in South Korea.

A South Korean matchmaking company teamed up with an English language institute to conduct a survey about bi-lingual appeal. After surveying 242 single males and 333 females, they found that 66% of males and 82% of females were attracted to mates who speak English.

"I like men speaking good English. It makes them look sexy, intelligent and very competent,'' Yang Mi-kyoung, a 24-year-old who works for a fashion goods company, told English-language newspaper The Korea Times. "They also look very confident and I feel I could proudly introduce him to anyone,'' she added.

The respondents also reported believing that foreign language skills led to higher incomes and greater economic stability. So, what are you waiting for? Even if the results aren't quite scientific, there are still at least 158 men and 273 women (number crunching is sexy, too—right?) out there who will dig your dangling participles.

You can start off by saying, "Yong-o-rul hahl-jool a-se-yo?" or "Do you speak English?"

If that doesn't get you anywhere, just say, "Jeo-nun han-kook-o-rul jo-gum-bah-ke mo-tahm-ni-da," which translates to "I only speak a little Korean."